Wednesday, December 30, 2009

All I Want for Christmas is You.


7 1/4 qt. Le Creuset French Oven. Thanks, Santa!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Soup Season

I recently had dinner alone at the bar at Mat and Naddie's and was reminded of the sheer joy that a good soup can bring to a person on a cold rainy night. The chef takes great pride is his daily soup selection and this evening's beef and vegetable was no exception. The consistency was spot on - not too runny or too thick. The beef, carrots, onions and mushrooms were all cut up into smaller pieces than your family style stew - and this was a welcome change. I like to be able to taste every flavor in a single bite and smaller pieces makes this possible. It was served piping hot, so dipping buttered french bread in it for those first tastes was a necessity and a wonderful experience.

This is not the first time I have been transported to another place by the soup at M&N. A few months back I almost made a fool of myself gushing over a shrimp bisque that rocked my world. The flavor of shrimp plus rich creaminess was pure heaven. If I ever have the opportunity to taste that again, I will be one happy lady.

On this visit, I also had the fried oyster salad. I can easily say this was the best fried oyster salad I have ever had. Been dreaming about it ever since. First of all, there were like a dozen oysters on this plate! Plump, juicy, and fried into golden ovals of pure delight. Plated in a circle around a large mess of lettuces with bacon, pickled fennel and onion, this dish was crowned (from underneath) with a green onion remoulade. This masterpiece has taken the place of my previous favorite, the prosciutto wrapped scallop salad. Every bite was enjoyable; the remoulade complimented the oysters so damn well.

Dessert was the chocolate truffle cake. More like a torte, it was just the ticket to soothe that monster inside me that demands chocolate at the end of every meal. It was served with two sauces, one rasberry and the other a creme anglaise; they were superfluous really. One of the reasons I love Mat & Naddie's so much is because they have a serious dessert list: all made in house, delicious. From the blueberry peach cobbler with oatmeal and brown sugar crust to the chocolate peanut butter gooey butter cake - anyone with the slightest sweet tooth will be hard pressed to resist these items.

Mat & Naddie's is one of my favorite Riverbend fine dining spots. The converted home and interesting art makes it a welcoming setting. The service is almost always satisfying. The waitstaff actually know a thing or two about the wines and has given me lots of advice on ordering. I have had one not so great experience with a busty blond bartender who wouldn't stop whining to her co-workers, but haven't seen her since.

Will be taking pictures on my next visit. I was too busy congratulating myself on my great restaurant choice and menu choices that I didn't get the chance to take any. 

The Verdict: Love it, especially soups and salads.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Candied Pecans

My new favorite snack. It's just so friggin easy. I'm thinking of wrapping up bags of this stuff and giving it as Christmas presents. I'm broke, ok!

1 cup pecans (halves or in pieces)
1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. of olive oil
1/4 cup of brown sugar

Heat a frying pan to medium heat. Stir together the vinegar, oil and brown sugar in the pan until it becomes a bubbling syrup and the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour in the pecans and stir until each pecan is covered. Spread out on a piece of foil to cool. That's it!




I love these on a salad. I got the idea from  Coquette where they serve a simple and wonderful romaine salad with crumbled goat cheese and candied pecans (pieces). I am obsessed with the absolutely genius  combination of a soft mild cheese and crunchy sweet pecans. Thank you, Coquette chef. I owe you one.

When I make it at home I dress it with this dressing:  olive oil, dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and salt & pepper. A tbsp. or so of each. Whisk. Good stuff.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Trout with pecans

Last night I decided to try something from the first cookbook I ever purchased, Tom Fitzmorris's New Orleans Food. As has been the case with quite a few of his recipes, I skipped a couple steps. Because two sticks of butter for enough fish for two was already way too much. The actual recipe, intended for six, requires about a pound of the stuff. I guess it is not that bad since a lot of it is lost in clarifying the butter.

Here is my version:

Trout with Pecans

First, you need to make some clarified butter. Put a stick of butter in a small saucepan on medium heat until it melts and then turn to low and wait about 10-15 minutes for the milks solids to fully separate. Spoon the solids from the top and pour the clarified butter into a small bowl or cup for frying the fish later.  Some of the solids will sink so make sure those don't get poured in. You will only get about a 1/3 cup worth but that it only needs to cover the pan later. This stuff turned out to be an awesome way to fry fish! Mainly because it can get hotter than regular butter without smoking.

Get yourself a nice trout-like fish. I had black drum because it was on sale at Whole Foods. One 9 oz. filet was enough for two with sides, although I will get two next time. Cut the filet into smaller pieces so you can fit it all in the pan at once and for more even and quicker cooking. Now get two large bowls, one for the egg mixture and one for the flour mixture. First bowl,  whisk one egg with 1/4 cup of milk. Second bowl, mix 1 cup  of flour with 2 Tbsp. of Prudhomme's Meat Magic (or Tony's or any creole seasoning) and 2 Tbsp. salt. Set all of this aside for a bit and make the sauce.

The Sauce: Stir 1 Tbsp. flour and 1 Tbsp. of water together in a heat proof bowl until they make a nice smooth paste. In a small saucepan, bring 1/4 cup of shrimp stock, 1/4 cup of Worcestershire, and 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice to a light boil. Whisk 1/4 cup of this into the flour paste and then whisk that back into the saucepan. Finally, whisk in a stick of softened butter. Keep sauce warm while you fry the fish.

Almost there: Now toast some pecans. Pour about a tbsp of the clarified butter (or use olive oil) on a large frying pan on med heat (same one you will use to fry the fish if you dont want to dirty two); throw on 1/2 cup of pecan pieces and stir around for about 5 minutes. I poured them directly into the sauce at this point. Tom says to wait until plating it all and add the pecans after the sauce.

Now, fry the fish. Heat the clarified butter in a large frying pan on med-high heat. Take a piece of fish, sprinkle with seasoned flour, dip in milky egg, dip into flour, shake off excess, place in pan of hot butter. Repeat. Cook 4-5 minutes, turning once. Fish should be an appetizing golden color. Set on a paper towel for a minute before plating.
 



Not too bad for the first crack at it! I served the sauce on the side because I was not sure about it. The fish tasted perfect and we wanted more. Nice thick cuts of wild caught fish with a light batter is so simple and makes a happy diner. The sauce was a little too heavy on that bite that comes from the Worcestershire but I still ate it and liked it.





Sorry for the bad lighting.

 I served the fish with a nice simple salad and some black eyed peas that I made in the slow cooker. A very delicious dinner but I dirtied every bowl and pan in the house so it will be a while before I do it again. It was also nice introduction to sauces, which I want to learn more about. 

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Coulis

After watching last night's domination of the Patriots, I was in the zone this morning with my breakfast choice. Coulis is a new breakfast joint that has gotten a lot of buzz for opening in the old Bluebird Cafe building on Prytania near Touro. I have never been to the Bluebird (scared away by their notoriously long lines) but I can confidently say that Coulis is definitely filling those shoes well. My fellow diners who have been to the Bluebird also agree.





Above is the breakfast menu. Lunch is on the other side. We went around 10 a.m. on a Tuesday and the place was pretty empty. I'm sure there is probably a busy time in the mornings (they open at 6 a.m.) and at lunch.  Now, on to the important part: the food. I had their version of eggs benedict: jalapeno cornbread, pulled pork, two poached eggs and hollandaise. The egg and hollandaise were simply perfect. The pulled pork was  juicy and not too sweet. I found myself eating it with a fellow diner's biscuit instead of the cornbread; that last element was just too much after a few really rich bites.








Mama had the banana pancakes. Nothing to complain about here, except that the bananas were on top and not cooked into the pancake. Just a personal preference of mine. These were really good though; not too thick or dense which my pancakes tend to be. I think I tasted a little hint of cinnamon, which was pleasing. The Music Man had an omelet with veggies and it was gorgeous. His hashbrowns were unique and addictive. Shaped like chips but thicker and not as crispy. I know a certain hash brown enthusiast who is really going to dig these babies. They are shown below with the omelet.

  

Coulis is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch. 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfast all day on weekends.



The Verdict: Really Good. Try it.







Monday, November 16, 2009